This invention relates in general to neurological instruments and, more particularly, to a reflex hammer for attachment upon a handle-forming instrument.
Heretofore, there has been an established recognition of the desirability of incorporating a reflex or percussion hammer for neurological diagnostic purposes with a coordinating instrumentality; thereby forming a composite device which obviates the need for a physician to have a separate independent hammer. In comprehensively physically examining a patient, a physician should check the deep nerve reflexes as by striking above the patella on the knee to cause the knee to jerk in order to determine the character of the nerve circuitry. With relative frequency, a physician may find when making such an examination away from his office or a hospital that a reflex or percussion hammer has been misplaced or forgotten and thus the examination is perforce not completed.
In order to obviate such a contingency, there have been various efforts made heretofore so as to integrate a reflex hammer within a composite instrument. One such prior art structure is revealed in the Golub et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,532,093. This patent discloses an instrument incorporating a handle which at one end has the conventional head crosswise permanently fixed thereon and with said handle at its other end being engageable to a cylindrical casing for housing other neurological diagnostic implements such as a brush and a needle. The Guest U.S. Pat. No. 2,908,268, shows another effort at providing a composite diagnostic instrument which incorporates a handle-forming casing for a tuning fork and with the handle or extension of the latter being suitably engageable to a socket member which mounts a triangular rubber impact or hammer head. The Leopoldi U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,146, reveals another attempt at providing a diagnostic instrument of which the reflex hammer constitutes but a portion. In this particular embodiment, the hammer end, having two ends, is pivotally mounted upon one end of a telescoping handle structure and thus being permanently integrated therewith; said handle structure internally providing a chamber for receiving associated diagnostic implements such as a brush has a pin.
It will thus be seen that the prior art discloses only fixedly integrated structures, but, nonetheless, demonstrate the recognized need for diagnosticians to be provided with a reflex hammer which is not of independent construction but is integrated within a composite instrumentality.
The present invention contemplates the provision of a reflex hammer component which is of independent construction but which is readily attachable, or otherwise detachably engageable, upon another instrument which may be for neurological examination, but not necessarily, and alone as it is of such nature as to provide a handle. Thus, the present invention involves a hammer of sleeve-form which simply frictionally engages the body of another instrument.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a reflex hammer attachment for neurological diagnostic purposes which is readily detachably engageable upon another instrument or supporting device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a reflex hammer attachment of the type stated which is constructed of suitable flexible and resilient material so as to easily accommodate the supporting instrument.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a reflex hammer attachment of the character stated which accordingly may be detachably mounted upon any suitable instrument or device and not necessarily one which is useful for neurological diagnosis.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a reflex hammer of the type stated which is most economically manufactured so that loss or misplacement of the same does not entail a substantial economic loss as would be with currently available reflex hammer; which is easily mounted upon the selected handle-forming support and is secured thereon for assuring of reliable usage; and which is constructed of durable material but which is of relatively light weight so as to be a negligible weight factor in a physician's bag.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a method for using a reflex hammer attachment of the character above stated for determining human reflex reactions.